AMMAN, May 23 (IslamOnline) - Jordan's state security court's prosecutors on Wednesday released a Jordanian-American who was detained without trial since December 1999 on alleged charges of being a member of Osama bin Laden's group, sources said.
Sources said that Kahlil Deek was freed following a hunger strike he started in order to press for his release, and recent media reports about his prolonged detention without a court order.
Deek's attorney, Younis Arab, who repeatedly criticized the continuous detention of his client, said that Deek was handed over to the Intelligence Department ahead of his deportation from Jordan on Thursday. Sources indicated that Deek would be allowed to travel to the United Arab Emirates.
Deek was extradited from Pakistan in 1999 following a Jordanian security arrest of members of the al-Qa'adah (The Base) group, whose members were sentenced to various jail terms last year by the state security court.
Deek was not tried, and no reason was given for his detention without trial.
Arab has repeatedly claimed that during his long detention in the Intelligence Department Deek was tortured.
He indicated that Jordanian authorities repeatedly refused to release his client and that no reason had been given for delaying Deeks' trial.
The attorney said the only evidence the Intelligence Department could produce against Deek was CD-ROM "which contained general information about the Afghan war which can be obtained by anybody for anywhere."
Despite this, Deek was detained without trial, as the U.S. embassy in Amman did not exert any pressure to seek his release, although Deek was reportedly was tortured by security authorities during his detention.
Deek's relatives have accused the embassy of failing to do any effort for Deek "because he was an American of Muslim origin."
Deek, 44, is married to a Syrian woman who currently lives with their child in Pakistan. She was not allowed to visit Jordan during the Deek's detention.
